You've Nothing to Fear Except Everything
by SugarBeatAngel
Summary: "I can't say exactly when I noticed it was there... all I knew was that I wanted to keep it hidden. I didn't want anyone to know. That darkness that had been there inside of me since that day was a well kept secret for so long. I never thought anybody would notice, so I kept it to myself and ignored it. That may have been a very grave mistake."
1. I Can Not Breathe

Wow, it feels like I've been away forever. In reality, I just have another account I've been more active on. However, I did promise my readers over here a **DARKER** UlqHime fic than _The Names We Carry_ so here you go! (Though, it's bordering more on being both UlqHime and IchiHime.)

I started writing this before the final arc so for arguments sake, we'll say this takes place between The Lost Substitute Shinigami Arc and The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc. Think of it like a "filler episode!" Ha ha! Anyway, without further ado, enjoy!

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><p><em>"Are you afraid of me, woman?"<em>

...

"Hey, Inoue."

Orihime's eyes snapped to attention as she heard Ichigo whisper her name. She glanced over at him, realizing that she had been dozing off in class for the second time this week. She smiled and nodded to him as a thank you before turning her attention back to the lesson ahead.

It wasn't uncommon for her to have nightmares.

In fact, she often had two or three a night. Most times they were trivial and silly, like a squid breaking into her apartment and eating all the food in her kitchen or the bakery being overrun by giant ants on motorcycles. Most times they were things that wouldn't keep her from getting enough sleep.

But lately that had changed.

Lately her nightmares had been frightening and disruptive to her sleep. They were the type of nightmares that would drag her right back in after she woke up covered in sweat and panting. They were the type of nightmares that kept coming back night after night regardless of how calm and peaceful she was when she laid her head on her pillow.

It had gotten so menacing that she had sought out and bought a Malaysian dream warden doll hoping that it would bring her a peaceful sleep, but of course it didn't work. It didn't solve the problem of her nightmares at all. It didn't even so much as weaken the frequency of these dreams.

It seemed that no matter what methods she tried the nightmares returned night after night and it was always the same.

It always started the same.

...

_"Are you afraid of me, woman?" He asked, his cold gaze piercing through her like a blade made from ice; chilling and yet burning in the same instant._

_"I'm not afraid." She managed to utter. _

_"I see..." His response came. They were the final words he spoke to her. _

_His hand outstretched in her direction was a frightening thought and yet she mustered up the strength to reach out to it. Their fingers nearly touched as he began to disintegrate and then very quickly, all that remained of him was ash._

_She stood there staring as the wind kicked the ash to and fro through the endless night sky, beckoning her closer as though asking for a partner to dance with. Despite every ounce of her better judgment telling her body otherwise she set a trembling foot forward. In that moment the wind swept upward violently to engulf her. It tossed her about, ash swirling around and covering her body, choking her. Suffocating her and blinding her. The darkness grew thicker and the whole world seemed to drop out from beneath her feet._

_The whirlwind continued to thrash her around like a rag doll; lifting and spinning, dropping and crushing until finally everything came to a standstill. She lay there floating in midair, the ash now fleeing her body and taking shape in a rolling mass above her head._

_She stared up at the mass in horror as it sprouted wings, claws and terrible demonic eyes. The claws reached down for her. The demonic form grabbed her by the waist with one clawed hand and began prying her mouth open with the other. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't scream. She could only lay there helplessly as this creature ravaged her body and all her senses before forcing its way into her opened mouth with a deafening screech._

_Only then could she scream and cry and let out all the fear that had been building up within her but the release would be short lived. She soon saw an image of herself mirrored above her but she noticed quickly that they weren't the same. She stared up into her own eyes only for them to stare back at her with malice and loathing before the reflection reached out and grabbed ahold of her throat with sharp fingernails._

...

"Inoue! Inoue, wake up." Ichigo said as he snapped his fingers loudly.

Orihime jumped at hearing Ichigo speak her name once again. Her eyes flew over to him and she noticed that he was no longer sitting in his seat but now standing next to her.

"Class is over." Ichigo said quietly. He stared down at Orihime, the tired bags under her eyes telling that she hadn't been sleeping much if at all in the past few days. He placed a hand on her shoulder and forced a smile. "You look tired. Come on, I'll walk you home."

"N-no! That's alright!" Orihime said as she stood quickly. She grabbed her bag and bowed her head to Ichigo. "Tatsuki-chan is waiting for me." She hurried away from him, noticing that they were the last two people in the classroom as she began to make her exit. She paused and turned back to him with a smile. "Thank you though, Kurosaki-kun. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you." Ichigo replied as he began to wave but Orihime didn't stick around long enough to see it. He furrowed his brow and picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He started out of the classroom to find Uryū waiting for him not too far down the hall. "Ishida..."

"So you've noticed too." Uryū said as he adjusted his glasses and turned to face Ichigo. "Something is definitely changed in Inoue-san. Something she doesn't want us to know about."

"She rushed out of here so fast." Ichigo replied as concern began to grow within him. It was true, he had noticed some changes in Orihime but he had shrugged them off as just natural changes that everybody went through. But now Uryū was noticing these things and it wasn't normal. It was cause for concern, especially after all they had been through. "It's like she's been distancing herself from us for a while."

"She reacted the same way when I offered to walk her home last week. She barely spoke to me and when she did it was only to tell me that she would be walking home with Arisawa." Uryū said quietly. "Then she rushed out of here like she did just a moment ago. It's as though the instant we offer any sort of help to her, regardless of how trivial, she runs."

Ichigo furrowed his brow and looked at the ground. "You don't think it has anything to do with-"

"I considered that myself." Uryū interrupted. "But right now, we shouldn't be thinking like that. The cause could be anything and if we narrow our thinking to only one possible cause we could miss recognizing all the other possible causes. For the moment, banish the Espada and everything that happened in Hueco Mundo from your mind. It was over a year and a half ago so let's try to broaden our outlook. It could be anything, even something as plain as Inoue-san simply outgrowing us, as painful as the thought may be."

Ichigo looked out the window down at Orihime as she rushed up to Tatsuki and the two began to leave the campus. "I hope that's all it is, Ishida."

…

"Those bags under your eyes aren't getting any smaller." Tatsuki said as she looked at Orihime. "Are you working late hours at the bakery or are you still staying up to watch those awful horror movies?"

"A little bit of both, actually." Orihime said as she chuckled. "I can't help it. I've become addicted."

"Well then it looks like I'm going to have to stay the night one of these nights and make sure you get to sleep at a decent hour." Tatsuki replied sternly.

"What?" Orihime managed to ask despite the fact that she felt as though someone had knocked the air out of her. "D-don't be ridiculous, Tatsuki-chan! I'm not a little kid."

"Well you act like one sometimes." Tatsuki muttered in irritation. "Why don't I come over tonight as a matter of fact?"

At hearing this, Orihime lost her balance and fell onto a trashcan, knocking it over. She winced in pain but stood quickly before Tatsuki could help her off the ground. She dusted herself off and glanced at Tatsuki quickly. "O-oh, I just remembered! I have to work tonight." Orihime picked up her bag and started to rush off. "Maybe some other time!"

"Well how about I stop by and see you at work?" Tatsuki called after Orihime.

"Don't bother! I'll probably be in the kitchen all night!" Orihime shouted as she kicked her feet into a sprint. She hated lying, especially to Tatsuki, but she just couldn't let anybody know why she hadn't been sleeping. She continued to run home. Her will to keep her secret hidden was the only thing driving her body to continue despite the complete physical and mental exhaustion she felt.

When she finally reached her apartment she felt relief but it was minimal. She realized that soon she would have to sleep and if she slept, she would dream. Nightmares would pester her relentlessly all night until morning when she would wake and try to make it through another day at school without alerting her friends that something was wrong.

It was getting harder and harder to keep this secret and she knew soon she would have to find a different way.

She walked to the bathroom and removed her clothes, drawing a much needed hot bath. She then went to the kitchen and put a kettle on the stove so she could have some soothing night time tea before bed.

She returned to the bath and stepped slowly into the steaming hot water that filled the tub. It burned but it felt good on her aching body. She quickly grabbed a hair clip from the edge of the tub and pinned her hair in a messy mass to the top of her head before submerging herself in the warmth of the bath. She shut off the water and breathed a heavy sigh, trying to search her mind for a solution to her problem. Her eyes began to slip slowly shut as she thought on anything and everything that could help her situation. That was when sleep took her yet again.

...

_"Are you afraid of me, woman?"_

_The question came as strikingly as it had in every nightmare. She stood staring, trembling like always and she managed to respond. "I'm... not afraid."_

_A slight smile twitched on his lips but there was no outstretched hand this time. Nothing for her to reach for with uncertainty, and his response was different. "Why do you hesitate?"_

_Her breath caught in her throat. This was not the same recurring dream. This was something different entirely. "Why did you say that?"_

_"Why do you answer a question with a question?" Those same cold eyes were burrowing into her now, sharper and more painful than they had ever been before._

_"That's not what you usually say." She said apprehensively._

_There was a flash of a smile again, only for an instant. Then he responded. "You don't usually hesitate when I ask you. So I ask again, why do you hesitate?"_

_"I'm... I'm not sure." She answered, glancing behind her. If this had been a memory Ichigo and Uryū would have been there. They might have been able to help her if they were present but they weren't. She was all alone here. With him._

_"Not sure of what?" He asked as he drew closer. "Not sure of why you hesitate? Or not sure of whether or not you're afraid?"_

_She turned her gaze forward to find him mere inches from her, staring at her deeply. Her pulse quickened and she found it hard to breathe in his presence. "I'm not sure of that either."_

_"Then allow me to enlighten you." He said as he pressed his mouth against her ear. "Your hesitation was in direct correlation with your fear of me."_

_She shivered, the sound of his voice crawling over her flesh like maggots to a corpse. Where she should have felt warmth from his breath she only felt bland, stagnant air. "B-but, I have no reason to fear you." She breathed out, her voice scarcely even a whisper. She could feel him let out something akin to a chuckle against her ear before she felt a clawed hand wrap around her waist._

_"Foolish woman, you never learn." He pulled her body against his and forced her head back. He began prying her mouth open with his free hand while keeping her steadily in place. "I promise, you will know fear."_

_She let out a gasp to scream but it was too late. His hand was in her mouth and his body was slowly disintegrating into ash. She was suffocating on him and the sensation was as though she was drowning. A loud screech filled her ears and she battled to regain her breath but everything just turned black._

...

Orihime opened her mouth to scream and as soon as she did she got a mouthful of water. She sat up, coughing and sputtering in the bath tub, gasping for air. She could hear a distinct screech in the distance and her heart skipped a beat before she realized it was just the kettle on the stove. She climbed warily out of the tub and wrapped a towel around herself to soak up the water trickling down her body.

She stepped into the kitchen and turned off the stove, quickly deciding she didn't want tea anymore.

She then returned sluggishly to the bathroom and released her hair from the sopping wet bundle it had become. She let her towel fall to the ground as she reached around for her brush. The mirror was fogged up due to the heat so she took her hand and swiped across it quickly but as she did so she saw eyes staring at her that were not her own.

She screamed and stepped backward, slipping on the wet floor and falling to the ground. Her head collided with the side of the bathtub and it left her unconscious on the bathroom floor.


	2. Hear Me

I'm going to try to update twice a week (otherwise my upcoming trip to Ireland will severely interrupt this story.) I'll likely be updating Wednesdays and Saturdays. Enjoy!

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><p>"Tatsuki." Ichigo said as he motioned the girl over to him. She was sitting with her friends in their normal lunch time spot under a tree and he hated disturbing her but the look on her face showed that she knew exactly what he wanted to talk about and she wanted to talk about it too.<p>

Tatsuki stood slowly and started over to Ichigo. "I'm glad you're here. We need to talk about Orihime."

"Not here." Ichigo muttered, glancing at the curious girls staring at them. "Walk with me."

"Alright." Tatsuki started to walk side by side with Ichigo until there was enough distance between them and the other girls to talk privately. "I'm worried about her, Ichigo."

"I am too." Ichigo turned to face Tatsuki and sighed. "She looks terrible. She hasn't been sleeping. I can tell. It doesn't look like she's been eating much either. She's falling asleep in class. She's weaker. When I offered to walk her home yesterday she just rushed out of the classroom. She's done the same to Ishida when he offered to walk her home."

Tatsuki looked to the ground with worry and nodded. "She doesn't talk to me much anymore, I mean, about regular stuff. She doesn't tell me what she had for breakfast or what disgusting thing she's going to cook for dinner. She doesn't talk to me about her crazy dreams that she has. Nothing. It's like she doesn't want to let me close anymore." She turned her gaze up to Ichigo hesitantly. "Worse than all of that, she lied to me yesterday."

Ichigo looked down at Tatsuki in shock. Orihime was many things, but a liar was not one of them. "She lied to you? About what?"

Tatsuki shook her head. "It's stupid. I shouldn't be upset. She probably just wanted to be left alone but..." She paused and glanced away from Ichigo. "No. No matter how overbearing I might have been, it just isn't like Orihime to lie. She told me that she's been working late hours and also staying up late watching horror movies so I suggested that I come over and stay the night to make sure she was getting good enough sleep. She rushed off as soon as I said that. She told me she had to go to work but when I showed up there to check on her, her manager said she had called in sick for the past couple of weeks and she hadn't been working at all."

Ichigo blinked at Tatsuki. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So... she hasn't been working but she told you that was why she hadn't been sleeping."

Tatsuki nodded. "I'm telling you, this isn't like her Ichigo. Something's wrong. This isn't the Orihime that we know. And now she hasn't shown up at school today I'm worried."

"I'll go see her after school." Ichigo said as he began to walk away from Tatsuki. "I'll find out what's going on with her."

"I'll go with you." Tatsuki said. She watched Ichigo retreat before turning back to finish her lunch. One way or another, they were going to get to the bottom of this.

...

Orihime winced in pain as she slowly began to open her eyes. The brightness of the light in the bathroom caused the already throbbing headache she felt to hurt even worse. She sat up slowly and realized just where she was. She felt something dry and crusty clinging to her face so she raised her hand to rub it away gently. She pulled her hand away and noticed the flecks of dried blood sitting on her fingertips. "Did I... hurt myself?"

She closed her eyes and tried to remember the night before. She came home after school, she drew a bath and put on a kettle for some tea before she eventually fell asleep in the bath tub. She remembered dreaming but this nightmare was so unlike the others. It was somehow even more terrifying. Then she woke up, she turned off the heat on the kettle and went back to the bathroom where she saw in the mirror...

"The mirror!" Orihime gasped and stood quickly but dizziness overtook her. She balanced herself against the sink and turned on the cold water to splash on her face. When she felt stable enough to stand up she glanced at the mirror but all she saw was her own reflection. Her hair was a matted mess and the blood caked on the side of her face showed that she had split her head open when she had hit the edge of the tub. The gash was about a finger's girth in width and about an inch and a half in length but she didn't waste time worrying about it.

Instead she focused on the fact that she hadn't had any nightmares after she had hit her head. A small smile came to her face as she began to wash the dried blood away. She turned off the water and picked up her brush to comb through the stubborn knots in her hair. It was painful but she managed to get her hair completely brushed out. All she wanted to do now was go back to sleep and try to gain her normal life back.

Orihime went to her room and put on her pajamas before crawling into bed and letting out a heavy sigh as she closed her eyes. Everything would be alright. It just had to be.

...

_"Are you afraid of me, woman?"_

_She gasped as she heard the ever so familiar voice but as her eyes drifted up to gaze in front of her she saw nothing. She whirled around in search of a face to put the voice to but there was no one. There was not a single soul around, save for her own. She opened her mouth slowly to speak. "Wh-where are you?"_

_There came a soft exhale that could have passed for a snicker before the voice spoke again. "I'm right where I should be."_

_She stepped hesitantly forward and searched the darkness for that familiar face but the blackness was vacant. "Where is that?"_

_There was silence then and it seemed to stretch on forever before she finally heard the voice against her ear and felt what seemed to be a clawed hand running through her hair. "Right here."_

_She whirled around again but there was nothing behind her. Nothing to the side of her. Nothing anywhere. Her heart rate picked up as she began to panic. The voice sounded so close she was sure she'd heard it right behind her and she knew, she just knew she'd felt a hand. "Why are you doing this?"_

_"You never learn." The voice replied almost mockingly. "You refuse to learn fear. You refuse to feel despair." There was a pause then. Her breath caught in her throat as she waited for more when finally the voice came through with a low, feral growl. "You forgot."_

_Her pulse quickened and the words echoed. They sounded distant now but the translation of tone was not lost on her. These words contained fury and venom. "What did I forget?"_

_There came another noise that could have easily been a chuckle, then silence. She felt clawed hands gripping her shoulders and pulling her backward against a cold, hard body. She tried to fight but it seemed the harder she struggled the tighter the grip became. She opened her mouth to scream but she felt a clawed thumb forcing its way into her mouth and pressing down violently on her tongue. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears and growing louder._

_Thump... thump... thump._

...

Orihime flew out of bed as the loud thumping sound of a knock filled her apartment. She stood on shaky legs and made her way slowly to the front door. She was expecting her neighbor there to check on her like she had been every so often lately, so when she opened the door to find Ichigo and Tatsuki standing there, she was surprised and horrified. "Tatsuki-chan! Kurosaki-kun! What are you doing here?"

"Can we come in, Inoue?" Ichigo asked calmly until he noticed the gash on Orihime's head. At seeing the wound he stepped forward instantly and stared at her worriedly. "What happened to you? Are you alright?"

Orihime blinked widely at the concerned look on Ichigo's face before forcing a smile. "Oh, what? My head? I slipped getting out of the bath last night. It's no big deal."

"No big deal?" Tatsuki said as she planted her hands on her hips. "Orihime, you're lucky you didn't bleed to death with a gash that big!"

"It's nothing." Orihime smiled and motioned for them to sit. "Would you like some tea?"

"No thanks." Ichigo stopped Orihime before she could enter the kitchen and avoid him and Tatsuki once again. "Inoue, what's going on? You didn't even bother to heal yourself."

"I..." Orihime looked away from Ichigo. She didn't know how to tell him that she hadn't been able to use her Shun Shun Rikka since the nightmares had started so she lied. "I must've misplaced them somewhere."

Ichigo smiled and shook his head. "Come on, first things first. I'll take you to the clinic and get you patched up." He reached out to her and in the instant that he did something in her gaze snapped.

"That isn't necessary." Orihime protested as she took a step back from Ichigo. "It'll be fine. It'll heal on its own."

"Inoue, you need to get some help. It's a bad wound." Ichigo stepped toward her slowly. "Come on, my dad won't mind."

"I said _no!_" Orihime shouted. She shoved Ichigo away from her but the action only caused her to fall backward to the ground.

Ichigo stared down at Orihime in awe before kneeling down to check on her. "Inoue, what's going on? You haven't been yourself lately."

"How would _you_ know? You're always so caught up in everything else, you don't even know what she's like anymore _Kurosaki_." Orihime said as she tugged away from Ichigo's awaiting hand.

"Orihime, that's enough!" Tatsuki said as she stormed over to her friend. She leaned down and pulled Orihime up by her arms. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Go home, woman. You have no place in this discussion." Orihime replied as she narrowed her gaze on Tatsuki.

"Stop it!" Tatsuki shook Orihime lightly but the look on her friend's face was still unsettling. "What's gotten into you?"

Orihime's glare deepened before turning it to Ichigo and back to Tatsuki. "Wouldn't you like to know..."

"Orihime!" Tatsuki tightened her grip on Orihime and she shook her again but as she did so her longtime companion lost consciousness and began to fall. She caught her in her arms and turned to look at Ichigo from over her shoulder. "Something's wrong."

Ichigo nodded. Tatsuki didn't need to tell him that something was off about Orihime. He could see it in her eyes before she even spoke. He could sense that something was amiss. She didn't feel the same.

...

_She opened her eyes. Everything was swirling in darkness. She felt suspended in the air, no stable footing anywhere that she could see. She felt heavy and weighed down despite the fact that she seemed to be levitating. She clenched her eyes shut tightly, praying it would all just go away._

_That was when she heard that same voice only this time it wasn't asking the normal taunting question. This time it was much more frightening and even more cryptic. "I'm almost there."_

...

"Orihime!" Tatsuki shouted as she tapped her friend's face. "Orihime, are you alright?"

Orihime gasped and sat up quickly. She glanced around to find herself in the examining room at the Kurosaki Clinic. She blinked widely as her eyes fell over the faces of the entire Kurosaki family before turning to Tatsuki. "Tatsuki-chan, what am I doing here?"

Tatsuki looked down at Orihime worriedly. "You passed out."

"I... I did?" Orihime rubbed the sore spot on her head where she had split it open. She found the wound was newly stitched, likely thanks to Isshin, so she quickly pulled her hand away from it. "I don't remember anything."

Ichigo stepped closer to Orihime and stared down at her. "You don't remember _anything_?"

"I remember you two showing up at my apartment. I remember offering you tea and then..." Orihime's brow furrowed in thought. "and then, I can't remember."

Isshin nodded slowly to himself. "Black outs aren't uncommon with severe head injuries. You're lucky that was the worst of it. Inoue-chan, I'm going to ask that you stay overnight."

"S-stay!?" Orihime shouted. "I can't stay!"

"You aren't in any condition to be by yourself tonight." Tatsuki said as she placed her hands firmly on her hips. "I could take you home with me but right now I think the clinic would be the best place for you. That way, you're already here in case something goes wrong. Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan will be here to help take care of you, alright?"

Orihime laid back and pulled the sheet on the bed up to cover the blush on her face. "Tatsuki-chan."

"I have to go home now, okay Orihime?" Tatsuki smiled down at her friend and patted her head. "You just get a good long sleep and I'll come to visit you tomorrow."

Orihime watched helplessly as Tatsuki turned and left, quickly followed by Isshin and his daughters. Ichigo was the only one left in the room and the silence was awkward. "Kurosaki-kun..."

"What's going on, Inoue?" Ichigo stepped over to the bed and sat on the edge of it to stare down at his friend. "Something's not right. I can sense it. Back at your place you were completely different. I know you don't remember but you weren't yourself at all and I know you have to know why. This all started before you hit your head. Why haven't you been sleeping? And why have you been lying to Tatsuki? She worries about you, you know. You can't do that to her." He let out a soft sigh and glanced away from Orihime before turning his eyes back. "I worry too. Ishida, Chad, we all worry about you. Let us help you." He reached out slowly and placed his hand over hers. "Please."

Orihime blushed and shook her head. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun. But this isn't something you can help with. This is something I need to figure out on my own and deal with. I'll be alright, I promise."

"Alright." Ichigo smiled down at Orihime and nodded. He wasn't biting. There was much more to this all than Orihime let on and he would find out what it was. He knew now that he wouldn't learn the truth from her. He would have to figure it out for himself. He stood and tucked Orihime in gently. "Yuzu should be here with some food for you soon. I'll check in on you before I go to bed and then again tomorrow morning. Get some rest, Inoue."


	3. You're Already a Voice Inside My Head

Here's your Saturday update! Enjoy!

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><p>Uryū sighed heavily as he walked toward his home from the fabric store. It was getting late but there were some important pieces he needed to finish before school the next day. A few girls in the Handicrafts Club had asked him to demonstrate how he made clothes and so he would show them the finished product before actually showing them how to do it and that meant a long night of sewing and stitching.<p>

The streets were unusually dark despite the overhead lights and there was a natural chill in the air leaving the whole area feeling less than pleasant. He picked up his pace, eager to get home and finish his project. That was when he noticed a figure a few feet ahead of him. As he drew nearer he saw with shock that the figure was none other than Orihime, wearing a hospital gown no less.

He kicked into a sprint and rushed over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Inoue-san! Are you alright?"

Orihime's gaze fell to Uryū. "You."

Uryū blinked down at the girl curiously. "Yes, me. What are you doing out here? You must be freezing! Here..." He sat down the bag he was carrying and pulled off his jacket. He draped it over her shoulders and pulled it close across her chest. "You're barely clothed. What are you doing walking the street barefoot and in a hospital gown?" He looked at her face and noticed for the first time the stitched up gash on the side of her head. "What happened? Are you alright?"

A smile crossed Orihime's face and her hand rose to clasp over Uryū's left hand. "How is your hand feeling? All better, I see."

"What?" Uryū stared down at her in confusion before he felt her grip tighten violently over his hand. "Inoue-san... that hurts!"

Orihime's eyes narrowed on Uryū dangerously. "You're just as guilty as she is. You tried to make her forget. _Helped_ her to forget. You're just as much at blame."

"Inoue-san, stop it." Uryū tugged his hand out of her grasp and gripped her shoulders. "What's going on?" He stared into her eyes and for a moment the hateful glare she gave him vanished.

"I... Ishida-kun, I..." Orihime looked up at her friend as tears welled up in her eyes before she began to glance around. "Where are we?"

"Inoue-san, we're on the street." Uryū looked to her with concern. "You don't remember?"

"No. I..." Orihime began to search frantically around before everything began to grow dark.

Uryū put a hand to Orihime's head and felt that she was burning hot. "Inoue-san, you're sick. Come with me. I'll take you to my father's hospital."

"You can't help her." Orihime tugged away from Uryū but the action only sent her backward into a nearby wall. Her head collided with the hard brick and she quickly lost all consciousness.

Uryū knelt down beside his friend and tapped her face gently. "Inoue-san? Inoue-san!"

...

Ichigo groaned as he heard his phone buzzing on his desk. He sat up and grabbed the phone grumpily and looked down at the number that was calling. "Ishida? What does he want this late at night?" He pressed his phone against his ear and sighed. "Yeah?"

_"Kurosaki, meet me at the hospital now. It's about Inoue-san. She's sick."_

Ichigo furrowed his brow as he began rubbing the sleep out of one eye. "Inoue? What are you talking about? She's here at the clinic."

_"Well, that explains the hospital gown she was wearing when I picked her up on the side of the street."_

"What?" Ichigo jumped to his feet and bolted downstairs and into the clinic but sure enough, Orihime's bed was empty with the sheets thrown carelessly to the side. "What was she doing on the street? Did she say?"

_"She didn't say. Kurosaki, she wasn't herself. She was saying strange things and she even tried to injure me. When I offered to help her she shoved me away."_

Ichigo sighed. Just like what had happened with him and Tatsuki earlier. "Alright. I'll be there soon." He hung up the phone and rushed back up the stairs, speedily dressing and then out into the night. He rushed to the hospital where he was told that Orihime had a whole floor to herself. When he arrived on the top floor he heard the sound of screaming and thrashing coming from a room just down the hall from the elevator. He ran to it to find Uryū standing outside. "What's wrong?"

Uryū looked to Ichigo with worry. "I'm not sure. She started acting like this as soon as I told her you were coming."

"We can't just leave her in there by herself!" Ichigo started into the room but Uryū held up an arm to keep him back.

"She has nurses in there that are equipped to deal with this sort of behavior. They restrained her and strapped her to the bed. It's... not a pleasant sight." Uryū glanced at the door that lead to the room. "They're going to give her a mild sedative. It should help with her anxiety and allow her to get some sleep."

Ichigo cursed under his breath and turned away from the room. "Why is this happening, Ishida?"

"I'm not sure but we're going to find out. She's scheduled for a CT scan tomorrow to rule out any possible abnormalities caused by the trauma to her head. Though, you and I already know that she was behaving strangely before that." Uryū sighed and stepped closer to Ichigo. "She's been given top priority and my father agreed to oversee this case himself. Whatever the problem, we'll get to the bottom of it."

"Do you still want to ignore the possibility that this is aftermath from Hueco Mundo?" Ichigo asked calmly.

"I'm exploring all options that medicine won't be able to detect. I'm also looking into whether or not this is an adverse effect from Tsukishima's Book of the End." Uryū said plainly. "I know you're thinking that we might all be at risk but if there was something about Inoue-san that caused it to have an effect like this, we'll find it."

"She said something off today." Ichigo muttered. "She referred to herself in the third person. It was strange. When I told her that she wasn't acting like herself she said, 'You don't even know what _she's_ like anymore.' She referred to herself as 'she.' It was strange. I didn't think much of it at the time but..."

Uryū's eyes widened. "She said something similar. When she gripped my hand she said, 'You're just as guilty as she is. You tried to make her forget.' I didn't know what she was talking about or who she was talking about but it appears she was referring to herself." He paused in thought until a loud, pained scream came echoing through the hall from Orihime's room. He bolted into the room with Ichigo closely behind. When they entered Orihime's line of sight her gaze flew to them and she was clearly not herself again.

"Stay the hell away." Orihime seethed.

"Inoue..." Ichigo growled and looked at Uryū. "I thought you said they were giving her a sedative!"

Uryū looked to a nurse who nodded quickly. "They did." He stepped over to Orihime and placed a hand on her forehead. "Her fever has subsided. If she... OW!" He winced in pain as Orihime's teeth sank into his hand. He tried to pull the appendage away but she kept her jaws clenched tightly. "Inoue-san, let go!"

"Inoue, stop!" Ichigo grabbed Uryū's arm and helped him pull it away just as Orihime opened her mouth and released the bite she had on his flesh.

"I said to stay away. You don't listen. You never listen, Kurosaki." Orihime's eyes flew to Uryū before turning back to Ichigo. "Release these straps now."

Ichigo narrowed his gaze on Orihime and he stepped closer, leaning down face to face with her. "Who are you? What are you doing to Inoue?"

Orihime grinned widely. "Even if you knew you couldn't save her."

Uryū scowled and stepped closer, gripping his bleeding hand tightly to slow the flow of blood. "What is your goal?"

"It's none of your concern. This is between me and her." Orihime closed her eyes slowly. "This medication, I'm not strong enough to overcome it yet. But that's fine. I grow stronger while she sleeps."

"Inoue!" Ichigo grit his teeth and grasped Orihime's head. "Inoue! Don't go to sleep!"

"It's too late, Kurosaki." Uryū said quietly. "The sedative has kicked in."

Ichigo turned to face Uryū and looked at him angrily. "This is all my fault. If I had tried to help her sooner-"

"Don't go placing the blame on yourself." Uryū looked to Ichigo before turning his gaze to Orihime's sleeping form. "We all tried to help her. We'd all been noticing that she wasn't herself and when we tried to help she pushed us away. Whatever, no, _whoever_ is doing this is there inside her and they are causing her to act like this. I don't believe this is an adverse effect from the Book of the End. This is something much different. Something worse."

Ichigo nodded stiffly. "I'm going to try to get a hold of Rukia. Soul Society may be better equipped to deal with this sort of thing."

"That's a good idea. I'll keep watch over Inoue-san for tonight. Sado, tomorrow. You the next night. We'll rotate until we get this all sorted out." Uryū looked to Ichigo sadly. "Get some rest. We'll all need it."

...

_She could hear voices in the distance. Ichigo and Uryū were talking and she thought she heard her name mentioned. "Are they... talking about me?"_

_That same familiar voice came, soft and quiet to respond to her but that didn't make it any less frightening. "They are."_

_She jumped and whirled around to find his eyes burrowing into her. He wasn't demonic looking like he usually was. He just looked like his old self, calm and collected. "Ulquiorra, you look-"_

_"Better? Less frightening?" He stepped toward her slowly. "They've drugged you. It weakens us."_

_"I want to know why you're doing this." She said bravely. If there was any time to get the answers she wanted it was now while he was weakened and approachable. "How are you even here? You were supposed to have-"_

_"Died, yes. Well, strange things can happen when you make a connection to someone. But by all definition of the word, I am dead." His eyes followed her as she approached hesitantly. "I see you still have not learned to fear me."_

_"Why are you doing this? What do you want?" She asked as she stopped just short of him._

_"You amuse me, woman. You never learn." He closed the distance between them and raised his hand to touch her cheek. "Does this form not frighten you? You aren't trembling."_

_"Why do you want me to fear you so badly?" Her gaze drifted up to his eyes proudly. "I've seen a lot. Not much scares me, especially not you so tell me why you're doing this."_

_He withdrew his hand and glared down at her bitterly. "Your memories were tampered with. When you regained them accurately you forgot something important."_

_Her brow crinkled in confusion as she stared up at him. "What are you talking about?"_

_He began to circle her slowly, his eyes watching her every movement. "You used to think about me every day. There wasn't a day that went by that you didn't look back on Hueco Mundo and wonder if you could have changed things. You even talked to your friend with the glasses about it but he just told you to forget it and move on. But you didn't. You kept searching your mind for a way that you could have improved the situation. Not so many people would have had to die. I wouldn't have had to die. And then one day-"_

_"It stopped." She looked to the ground in thought calmly. "When Tsukishima used his Book of the End on me he twisted my memories. He placed himself at the middle of everything I had been through and I just began to accept the outcome for what it was."_

_"Then you regained your true memories and yet that silly notion that there wasn't more you could have done was still lodged in your mind." He stopped behind her and stared at the back of her head. "You stopped thinking about Hueco Mundo. You stopped thinking about the Espada. You stopped thinking about me. You buried me deep down in your heart and all that was keeping my memory alive faded away."_

_"So..." She turned to face him and looked at him sadly. "You're doing this because I ignored your memory?"_

_"Because of you I understood what it meant to have a heart. Because of you I learned I could have feelings of joy and pleasure... anger and betrayal." His eyes narrowed on hers dangerously. "When I died I could have disappeared to anywhere. Instead I got taken in by your heart; the heart of the one person I made a connection to. I didn't ask to be there. I didn't want to be but it happened all the same. It turned out not to be so terrible. Dwelling there I could enjoy you through your memories of us. Each time your mind thought about us it made me feel as though I was still alive. I enjoyed it... but then you stopped remembering. You stopped thinking about me and if you will not think of me fondly then you will think of me as someone to be feared. You will think of me the way you should have been thinking of me all along. Now I will enjoy you through your suffering and I will cause you to despair. I will kill you when I have destroyed every piece of your life. I will cause you to lose your heart. Then I will be free from you."_

_"Y-you should have told me!" She said as tears began to swell in her eyes. "If all you wanted was to be remembered you should have just-"_

_"Don't be stupid. These dreams I've been giving you didn't always start out so horrifying. They were simple memories. Night after night you watched me fade away into nothing and you would still wake as though it wasn't your problem anymore. You had more trivial things to worry about like school and your job and your precious Kurosaki. Things that don't really matter in the grand scheme of it all and yet they were more important to spend your time dwelling on them." He scoffed and stepped closer to her. "But the truth is, I've really begun to grow bored of you. You are not the person I believed you to be and I want to be free of you. Because of you I understand what it is to feel disgusted."_

_"Ulquiorra, I..." She shook her head, her tears flying off into the darkness. "I'm sorry! I-"_

_"You discarded me like a piece of trash, woman. You don't get to say you're sorry. You abandoned my memory at the encouragement of your friends because you thought it would be better for you not to dwell on the past." He reached out and grabbed her head with both hands, pulling it back to look up at him. "Tell me, how is that working out for you?"_

…

"Inoue-san… Inoue-san, wake up." Uryū said softly as he tapped Orihime's face.

Orihime groaned and opened her eyes, blinking in the bright light of the hospital room. She tried to sit up but quickly found that she was strapped to the bed beneath her. "What's going on? Why can't I move?"

"You were whimpering in your sleep." Uryū replied. He was relieved to see that Orihime was her normal self but he was still cautious. "We had to strap you to the bed because you were thrashing around violently."

"I was?" Orihime instinctively tried to raise her hand to place to her head but it didn't budge.

"You don't remember leaving Kurosaki's house, do you? You don't remember anything..." Uryū smiled down at her calmly. "That's alright. Here, just relax." He reached up and pulled the blanket that covered her closer to her neck.

"What happened to your hand?" Orihime looked at Uryū's hand with concern before turning her eyes up to meet his. He averted his gaze and that told her everything she needed to know. "I did that, didn't I? I'm so sorry, Ishida-kun."

"You weren't yourself." Uryū pulled his hand from Orihime's sight and forced a smile. "All that matters is that you're yourself now. How are you feeling?"

"Groggy." Orihime responded almost immediately after the question was asked. "A little claustrophobic too but that's alright."

"I can loosen the straps." Uryū offered. "Not a lot. Just enough for you to move around a bit."

"That's alright." Orihime said with a chuckle. "Could you just stand over me so I can see you a bit better?"

Uryū stepped closer and looked down at Orihime, trying his hardest to appear relaxed so as not to alarm her. "Inoue-san, I promise you that we will find out what is happening to you. We're going to help you."

Orihime shook her head to the best of her ability and smiled. "You can't help me. The things that are going on are out of your control. This is between me and him and I have to face it on my own."

"You and _him_?" Uryū's eyes narrowed in thought. "Who do you mean, Inoue-san?"

Orihime looked away from Uryū quickly. "I shouldn't tell you."

"Inoue-san!" Uryū grabbed her hand tightly in his injured one and stared down at her. "Please! If you know something that can help us help you, you have to tell me."

"Ishida-kun, you've already been hurt. I don't want to put you... put _any one of you_ in any more danger! I can't even use my Shun Shun Rikka right now to protect anyone or heal anyone." Orihime looked up at him sadly. "You should just go home and don't worry about me."

"Inoue-san, you're being ridiculous!" Uryū gripped her hand tighter despite the pain it brought to his wound. "You're out of your mind if you think any one of us is going to give up on you! We rushed into Hueco Mundo blindly just to rescue you. We will never turn our backs on you. We love you."

Orihime's eyes filled with tears as she tried to shake her head. "And I love all of you too which is why I can't put you in any more danger!"

"You don't have to say anything. Just nod your head yes or no." Uryū looked down at her seriously. "Does this have anything to do with what happened in Hueco Mundo?"

Orihime looked up at Uryū sadly. "Ishida-kun... please."

Uryū sighed and continued to hold her hand tightly. "Inoue-san, does this have to do with the Espada?"

"Ishida-kun, please remove the straps. I can't take this anymore. I'm starting to panic." Orihime's eyes looked up at Uryū pleadingly. "Please."

Uryū stared down at Orihime a moment before nodding slowly. "Alright, just for a moment." He reached up and unfastened the strap keeping her head held in place before releasing all the other straps one by one. He reached up hesitantly and unfastened the latch that was keeping her right hand strapped to the bed but just as he reached for the left one, he felt her hand on his chest.

"You're sweet." Orihime mused as she smiled at Uryū. Her hand twisted up the fabric of his shirt until she was holding him tightly. "Your softness for her is sickening as always."

"You bastard!" Uryū grit his teeth but he soon found himself flying to the floor of the hospital room. His head collided with the hard floor and he instantly felt himself begin to bleed. He stood slowly but by the time he regained his footing Orihime was standing in front of him smirking widely. "G-get out of Inoue-san's body!"

"Do you want it all for yourself?" Orihime said with a light snicker. "Don't worry. When I'm done with her all that will be left of her will be her body. You can do with it what you please then."

Uryū grit his teeth and launched himself at Orihime. "I won't let you hurt her!"

Orihime dodged Uryū and placed her hand on the back of his head, giving it a rough slam against the railing of the hospital bed. She took a step back and looked down at him and when he didn't move, she smiled in satisfaction. She then stepped over to the window and opened it slowly.


	4. When Emptiness is All You Know

Here's your Wednesday update! Enjoy!

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><p>"Kurosaki!" Uryū ran up to Ichigo on the campus of the school and grabbed his shoulder.<p>

Ichigo whirled around and looked at Uryū curiously. His head was bandaged and his clothes were disheveled. "What happened to you? You look terrible. Did... did something happen to Inoue?"

Uryū gasped for breath and nodded slowly. "She's gone."

"What!?" Ichigo gripped Uryū's shirt and shook him lightly. "What happened? I thought you were there with her!"

Uryū looked away from Ichigo sadly. "She asked me to release the straps. She said she was starting to panic and she seemed genuine so I released her. That's when she threw me to the floor."

"She threw you? Is Inoue even strong enough to do that?" Ichigo released his grip on Uryū. "What happened next?"

"I'm not sure. It's all just a blur. All I know is that the nurses found me this morning on the hospital floor. Her window was wide open but there was no evidence that she had jumped out. That is to say, there was no blood or body found." Uryū looked at Ichigo with concern. "I tried to call you but you didn't answer your cell. Everyone is searching for her now but-"

"Good morning, Ishida-kun. Good morning, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime said with a sly smile as she approached the two boys standing near the gate of the school. "Ishida-kun, those bandages are new. Did you manage to hurt yourself again?"

"Inoue!" Ichigo started toward her until he felt Uryū throw up an arm to stop him. "Ishida?"

"That's not Inoue-san." Uryū narrowed his eyes on Orihime. "No matter how good he has become at pretending to be her, I'm starting to see the slight differences. The real Inoue-san would be concerned to see me hurt. She wouldn't be so casual about any injury, especially one caused with the use of her own body."

"He?" Ichigo blinked at Uryū before turning to look at Orihime.

"Oh Ishida-kun, sometimes you're too smart for your own good." Orihime said as she stepped closer to the two. "But that doesn't matter anymore. I have full control now and I have no reason to relinquish it just yet."

"Why are you doing this?" Uryū looked at Orihime calmly. "If you are who I believe you to be, this doesn't seem like something you would do. You have no reason to hurt Inoue-san."

"You have no idea what my reasoning is." Orihime glared at Uryū dangerously. "Just stay out of my way."

"You listen to me, you bastard!" Ichigo grabbed Orihime's shoulders and pulled her close. "We are going to find out a way to stop you. We're going to defeat you and we're going to get Inoue back."

"Get her back? Kurosaki, you haven't had her for a long, long time." Orihime smirked deviously and pulled away from Ichigo. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to class."

Ichigo watched as Orihime sauntered off without so much as a glance backward. He grit his teeth angrily and turned to Uryū. "He's toying with us. He knows we can't do anything so he's just laughing in our faces!"

"There's something I'm not understanding." Uryū said as he put his hand to his chin in thought. "This is clearly the work of someone that is _inside_ Inoue-san. I had considered brainwashing initially but it just didn't correspond with the vocabulary she was using. But now, I'm even starting to second guess my original conclusion."

Ichigo looked to Uryū curiously. "What do you mean?"

"In considering all the possible causes for Inoue-san's change in behavior, I was quickly able to eliminate a few theories almost immediately. This couldn't be brainwashing. If it was she wouldn't be referring to herself in the third person. That just isn't a characteristic of someone who has been brainwashed. That of course removed the possibility that this was an adverse effect of Tsukishima's Book of the End as well. We know how it worked and her behavior thus far has not been indicative of any lasting effects it might have had." Uryū followed Orihime's still retreating form with his eyes. "That left only one possibility with two options."

Ichigo turned his eyes to watch Orihime as well. "And that would be..."

"There is someone within Inoue-san that has taken over control of her body. There were two possibilities I had considered. The first was that this was someone we had dealt with before. The second was that this was a new enemy and he had chosen who he perceived to be our weakest ally to target first. The dialogue he used did not support this theory, however. He's spoken in matters of the past, saying that I helped Inoue-san to _forget_. That implies that whoever we are dealing with is someone we've already dealt with before." Uryū's gaze shot from Orihime to Ichigo. "This only left a select few and in the end. The conclusion I came to was-"

"Ulquiorra." Ichigo clenched his fists and started after Orihime. "I came to the same conclusion without so much thought. Why are you second guessing it?"

Uryū followed after Ichigo quickly. "Well, every time Inoue-san talked to me about him-"

"She talked to you about him?" Ichigo stopped in his tracks and turned to face Uryū. "When?"

"Every once in a while she would mention it. She felt really guilty, as though she hadn't done enough. She always made it sound as though she truly believed he was just a lost soul under Aizen's spell. She didn't believe he would really hurt her and she felt she could have done more to save him, as well as some of the others." Uryū adjusted his glasses nervously. "Personally, I didn't like hearing her talk like that. She made it seem as though it could have all been avoided if only she had done enough. I told her to forget it all. It wasn't good to dwell on the past and these things just couldn't be changed. It's just that... the way she spoke about him makes it hard for me to believe that he would have any interest in harming her. I know that he would be quite capable and I don't personally believe he would hesitate given a good reason. But there is no reason. Nothing has changed."

"Maybe nothing we've seen on the surface." Ichigo turned away from Uryū and continued to walk toward their class. "But maybe something changed within Inoue to give him a reason to want her dead. Do you think he's been inside her all this time?"

"It makes sense. She's seemed a bit different ever since Hueco Mundo." Uryū followed Ichigo quietly. They made their way to their classroom and stood in the doorway, watching as Orihime sat in her seat and avoided contact with everyone else. "We're going to get to the bottom of this. We're going to save her."

...

_She sat in darkness, curled up as tightly as she could be. She tried hard not to cry but she couldn't fight the tears away from her face. She had no sense of time. No sense of anything. All she knew was that she felt alone and scared._

_"There's no point in crying." His voice came, soft and yet stern. "It's foolish to cry."_

_Her gaze snapped up and she saw him almost immediately before her. He appeared normal again, nothing demonic about him. "What are you doing here? Is my body asleep right now?"_

_"Asleep?" His brow crinkled a moment before his head shook. "No. Your body is at school going about your daily routine."_

_She looked up at him in confusion and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. "Why are you here?"_

_"I've been watching you for some time." He replied plainly._

_She shook her head slowly and stood. "No, I mean... how are you here if you're controlling my body?"_

_"I'm not." He looked her over calmly. "He is."_

_Her heart skipped a beat in that moment and her eyes widened. "He? Wh-what do you mean?"_

_"Surely you've noticed." He stepped closer to her and stared down at her expectantly. "You... haven't been able to tell any difference, have you?" He watched her eyes for a moment before turning away in disgust. "You disappoint me further. You really aren't the woman I once thought you were. He was right."_

_"Who was right? What are you talking about?" She reached out and grabbed a hold of his arm only for his gaze to turn back to her coldly._

_"You used to know me so well. So well in fact, it felt as though..." He trailed off and pulled his arm from her. "I see you still have not learned to fear me."_

_"You're not the same. You keep changing from the Ulquiorra I knew into someone else entirely." She stared up at him bravely. "There's someone else here, isn't there? The 'he' you were talking about; he's controlling you like he's controlling me, isn't he?"_

_"He is a part of me." He stared down at her quietly. "Don't pretend as though you've noticed a difference."_

_"I have!" She reached out and grabbed his arm again. "I've seen the difference! I can feel it. I can tell the times when he's had control over your body. He's said things, done things... things I know aren't like you at all. I fear him and I know he intends to do me harm. But I can tell that he has you convinced that I need to be harmed because even when you were yourself, you've said some strange things. Ulquiorra, I don't fear you. But I fear him. Please tell me, who is he?"_

_"He is a part of me. He has been since the day I became part of you. Murciélago." He looked down at her in interest. "Have you really noticed a difference in us? Outside of our appearance?"_

_She nodded slowly. "He's cruel and devious. He isn't like you at all. He laughs at me and he likes to play mind games. When I'm in his presence I feel sick and it's as though I'm suffocating. And when he touches me it's like being touched by a corpse." She reached down slowly and touched her hand to his. "But there's still some warmth left in you."_

_He withdrew his hand from her reach and stared down at her in thought. "He said that you couldn't tell us apart. He said that you believed he was me."_

_"Appearances can be deceiving but I think that deep down I knew he wasn't the real you. He scares me. You don't." She looked up at him sadly. "You never have."_

_"You should fear me. Nothing has changed." He turned away from her. "You've still forgotten me. Forgotten everything."_

_"I haven't forgotten! I could never forget!" She looked at him and clenched her fists. "I will always remember. But honestly, what good will dwelling on the past get anyone? You're still dead. I can't fix that. Maybe I could have changed it then if I had taken different actions but I didn't and I can't go back now. I thought about it every day and suffered. Do you truthfully want me to suffer for something I can't fix?"_

_"All I wanted... truthfully?" He turned to face her and stared down at her seriously. "All I wanted was not to be forgotten. The very thing that keeps me living is your memories of me. Your memories have shown me more than I could have ever hoped to gain in a life time. But when you stop remembering I begin to disappear. I was enjoying those memories. I was enjoying you. I was alive again in the most lenient sense."_

_"And I will never forget again. Ulquiorra, I will keep those memories every day if you'll just give me another chance. I know I let you down. I know I disappointed you and I'm sorry. I never realized there was so much at stake." She reached out to him hesitantly. "Please let me prove this to you."_

_"I have no reason to believe that you would keep your word." His gaze narrowed down on her. "I've already given you so many chances."_

_"Ulquiorra, I promise you!" She grabbed his hands in her own and held them tightly. They were warm and to her surprise she detected a slight tremble. "I will think of you every day and if I ever forget to... you can do with me as you wish. Just give me a chance to prove to you that I will help you continue with your life."_

_"At times you truly astound me. Perhaps you are the person I believed you to be after all." He pulled his hands from hers and stepped away from her. "This is all a lot easier said than done, woman."_

_"Ulquiorra, believe me." She looked up at him sadly, his eyes returning almost the same amount of sorrow._

_He stared down at her before raising his hand slowly and bringing it to her cheek. "I do. But I'm not the one you need to worry about."_

_She watched as his eyes turned upward and she followed his gaze with her own. She stood with him staring up into the blackness above their heads._

"_There's still him."_


	5. Innocence is Gone

A bit of a short chapter for your Saturday update. Enjoy!

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><p>"I need to speak to Urahara-san." Ichigo said as he stared down at Ururu hopefully. "Is he here?"<p>

Ururu nodded. "He's here but he's very busy. Would you mind coming back another time?"

"I would if it wasn't an emergency. It's very important." Ichigo replied. "Please."

Ururu looked up at the almost desperate expression on Ichigo's face before letting out a sigh and turning back into the shop. "Alright. But wait outside. I'm under strict orders that I can't allow anyone into the shop right now."

Ichigo watched as Ururu disappeared into Urahara Shop and waited patiently outside for anyone to reemerge. It seemed to take forever but in reality it was only a few minutes before Kisuke Urahara popped his head outside.

"Kurosaki-san, I've been informed that you have an emergency situation." Kisuke stepped completely out of the shop and closed the door behind him. "What's happened?"

"I have a few questions for you." Ichigo said, turning to face Kisuke apprehensively. "Is it possible for more than one soul to inhabit a body at the same time?"

Kisuke stared at Ichigo knowingly, a small smile coming to his face. "Of course it's possible. Though it's incredibly rare and I myself have only seen it a small number of times."

Ichigo nodded in understanding and continued. "So, in a situation like that where there's more than one soul inhabiting a body, is it possible to remove one of the souls without damaging the other?"

"Now that is a question I can not answer. Of the few cases I observed where there were multiple souls inhabiting one form there was never any cause to remove the secondary soul. Typically, it occurred for a reason and was never detrimental to the host soul or vessel." Kisuke replied calmly. "Why do you ask? Does this have to do with the secondary soul residing within Orihime Inoue?"

Ichigo's face fell to a look of shock as he stared at Kisuke. "You... knew about it?"

Kisuke nodded quickly. "When the whole ordeal with Aizen was over I noticed that there was something distinctly different in Inoue-san. She had changed, though I believed it to be for the better. She seemed stronger and more determined than she was previously and although I first credited the change to her experiences in Hueco Mundo, upon closer examination I discovered that she was harboring a reiatsu not her own. It was subtle but it was certainly there." He looked Ichigo's face over in curiosity. "Has something happened with Inoue-san?"

"The soul within Inoue has taken her over completely. We don't really know why but she's been injured already and I'm worried he might want to kill her." Ichigo stared a Kisuke expectantly. "Tell me you know how to help."

"He?" Kisuke asked as he cocked an eyebrow at Ichigo. "You know who the soul inhabiting Inoue-san's body is?"

"Not for certain but I have a good idea. Ishida and I both reached the conclusion that Ulquiorra Cifer has taken over Inoue's body." Ichigo replied. "And before you ask, yes, I'm certain I killed him."

Kisuke nodded calmly. "Whether or not you killed him was never of question. Of course you killed him, otherwise he wouldn't be where he is now. Unfortunately, knowing who is within Inoue-san only makes it all the more difficult."

Ichigo's brow furrowed in concern at Kisuke's words. "Why is that?"

"Because now you have to accept the fact that Inoue-san willingly allowed Ulquiorra Cifer's soul into her being. A soul can only inhabit the vessel of another when it is welcomed. That is why this situation occurs so rarely and why it will be so difficult to help her." Kisuke answered. "If a soul must be welcomed for it to enter another's body, the contrary must also be true. To remove a soul the host must desire its removal."

Ichigo blinked at Kisuke in disbelief. "But I'm sure Inoue would-"

"Inoue is no longer in control, is she? That makes it even more difficult." Kisuke continued. "If she is no longer the primary soul she can no longer govern over her own body. This soul residing in her, assuming it is indeed Ulquiorra Cifer; if he decides to take Inoue-san's body and remove her from it completely he will be able to do so with little difficulty. The only way for you to help her is to bring her consciousness back to the surface. Then and only then will she be able to remove any unwanted guests from her body."

"Right. I got it." Ichigo nodded in understanding and turned away from Kisuke but the other man's words stopped him.

"Kurosaki-san, _unwanted_ is the key word. You can do nothing to help Inoue-san if she does not want to be helped." Kisuke added gravely. "Keep that in mind."


	6. Look at the Wonderful Mess That We Made

So sorry guys! I've been so busy getting ready for my trip to Ireland and with Halloween stuff that I totally spaced it on Wednesday. Forgive me! Anyhow, here's your Saturday chapter! Enjoy!

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><p><em>It was still dark, still cold where she found herself but it wasn't nearly as terrifying as it should have been. He was there and it was more of a comfort than she would have ever thought it would be. At least she wasn't alone. His eyes were watching her eyes silently drift around but no matter what, her gaze always fell right back on his. "Is there no escaping this place?" She asked, her voice small but unafraid.<em>

"_It's possible." His reply came, calm and quiet. "It took a strength not my own for me to leave this place. Yet here I am once more."_

"_What is this place exactly?" She mumbled as she looked around once again only to see that nothing had changed since the first time she'd glanced around the darkness._

_His response was hesitant but it came regardless. "This is where you buried me, in the darkest reaches of your heart. This place is your despair... a place you once fooled me into believing didn't exist within you."_

"_My despair?" She looked around more with a sense of awe now. "This is..."_

"_It's a dark, empty place that only I inhabited for so long." His words came slow and unsure. "Every so often there would be a fear or a doubt that would find its way here but it never lasted long. I don't know why but the thought occurred to me that it wouldn't be so unpleasant as long as I wasn't here alone."_

_Her gaze fell back on his face as his eyes drifted away from her's and she looked to him sadly. "I'm here with you now. Is it better?"_

"_No." He answered softly. "This is a place for no one. Not me and certainly not you."_

_She inhaled sharply and stood from where she sat. Her footsteps echoed through the blackness as she made her way over to him. She extended her hand to him and let a small smile come to her face. "Come on, let's get out of here."_

_His eyes flew to her hand before floating up to her smiling face. "I told you, I wasn't able to escape without his power. The likelihood of getting out again is-"_

"_We have to try." She kept her hand extended to him and continued to smile until he reluctantly returned the gesture and clasped her hand. In that instant a blinding light flooded her vision. When it dissipated she found herself standing in a familiar place. She was back in Hueco Mundo, or so it seemed. Her hand was still gripping his tightly as she glanced around. "Are we really here?"_

"_No." He replied, hiding his astonishment that merely taking her hand had managed to pull them both from despair. "This place is just your memory. It is a memory that we have in common so that is why we are here."_

"_I see." She muttered, taking in the sight once more. The eternal night sky that had once been a fond if not sad memory was now a haunting reminder of everything she had selfishly pushed aside for her own sake. Her eyes then fell on him. Him, though it wasn't him and it brought chills up and down her spine. He stood at a distance but his eyes were not directed toward them at all. "Is he-"_

"_He is not really here. He is just a memory." He reassured her. "My Segunda Etapa form; a manifestation of both myself and Murciélago. It's admittedly a frightening sight from the outside."_

_Her eyes softened from fearful to sorrowful as she looked upon the scene unfolding before her. She was there watching herself watch her friends lay their lives on the line to rescue her. The whole thing was too terrible to see all over again so she turned her eyes away. "Why did we have to come here of all places?"_

"_This is the only memory we share with him." He answered. "This is truly the only place we can go outside of your despair. It's equally unpleasant. Though we can at least accomplish something here, even if it's as simple as learning from our mistakes."_

"_Mistakes?" Her eyes drifted back to his face before glancing to the scene still playing out endlessly before them. "What do you mean?"_

"_Neither of us is without flaw, woman." He said, his eyes following the memory as it unfolded. "We have both made mistakes that have brought us to this point. The least we could do is learn from them."_

_His words made sense as he spoke them. After all, those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. That much she knew. She watched with a sense of overwhelming sadness as the memory of him reached longingly toward the memory of her. Their hands never had the chance to touch before he disintegrated into ash and floated away for what she had believed to be forever._

_She looked down at their hands still between them, still clasped together as though they were both afraid to let go. Her gaze rose to his eyes and she opened her mouth hesitantly. "Ulquiorra, what was your mistake?"_

_He lowered his head, a small smile cracking at the corner of his mouth as he stood there in thought. "There've been so many. I can't even begin to list them, though one particular mistake does come to mind." His eyes returned to hers and he unwrapped his fingers from her hand. "I could never let you go."_

_Her eyes widened at his words. For a reason unclear to her the words filled her with a feeling of joy and sorrow. "Do you mean in Hueco Mundo?"_

_"I mean always." He turned toward the memory as it restarted itself and watched it begin to play like a movie once more. "How many times have I stood here watching this happen? How many times have I watched the moment of my death, knowing I could never change it? Even if I was keeping track I would have lost count by now."_

_She watched him sadly as his eyes followed the movements of the memory. He never once winced or flinched and it was never really like him to do so but even still, she could tell that he had seen the memory so many times that he was entirely unphased by it. "Ulquiorra..."_

"_If I had just let you go maybe none of this would have happened." He said, never taking his eyes from the scene before him. "I was too intrigued by your heart. I had never understood the concept of a human heart until you came along. Once I got to know you, once I finally understood what it was to feel emotion I knew I could never let you go. I desired everything about you. Everything that made you human. I wasn't just going to let Ichigo Kurosaki take you away. I was finally starting to..."_

_She stepped closer to him as he trailed off and reclaimed his hand in her own. She gripped the appendage tightly and smiled as his gaze returned to her. "I'm sorry, Ulquiorra. I don't know what else to say other than to tell you how absolutely sorry I am. I'm going to try to fix this."_

_He stared at her quietly a moment before averting his eyes and allowing a small smile to crack across his lips. "Woman, you astound me."_

...

"Have there been any changes?" Ichigo asked anxiously as he joined Uryū in watching Orihime's apartment.

"None that I've seen." Uryū replied. "He's become really good at replicating Inoue-san's mannerisms. He even has Arisawa-san fooled into thinking that everything is alright." He turned his gaze to Ichigo in curiosity. "What did Urahara-san have to say?"

Ichigo let out an uncomfortable sigh at Uryū's question. He really didn't want to talk about what Kisuke had told him but he knew it would have to be discussed eventually. "Urahara-san told me that whatever soul is inside Inoue, it's there because she allowed it to be. From what it sounds like, she's the only person who can get rid of him but she has to be in control of her own body and she has to want him gone."

"If it's that simple then why hasn't Inoue-san gotten rid of him?" Uryū asked skeptically.

"My best guess is that she wasn't aware of his pressence until it was too late." Ichigo replied. "I can't help but want to believe that she would have told us if she knew."

"It's possible she didn't want us to know." Uryū said with a sigh. "If what Urahara-san said is true, Inoue-san welcomed Ulquiorra's soul into her body. I can't imagine she would admit to willingly doing something so foolish. We can't ignore the fact that one way or the other, Inoue-san allowed this to happen to herself. We just have to find a way to stop it. But how could we possibly help her to get control over her body if we can't even reach her?"

"We'll have to find a way." Ichigo said, his mind turning over every possibility available to them. An idea was beginning to form in his head but he knew it was best to keep it to himself until he had it all worked out. "You should head home now. I'll be fine to keep watch over her tonight."

"Are you sure, Kurosaki?" Uryū asked, looking Ichigo over. He was hesitant to leave the other man unattended, knowing how easily empassioned he could get when his friends lives were in peril. Ichigo was only staring at him, however, a look of determination painted on his face.

"I'm sure."


	7. Maybe We're Just Pretending

I swear, I'm such an airhead during the week. Sorry guys. Here I am trying to slip your Wednesday update to you at the last minute and hope you don't notice. -_- Forgive me! And please enjoy!

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><p>"Sado-kun." Orihime's voice spoke in feigned surprise. She was staring out of her apartment to see the massive young man standing on the doorstep.<p>

"Inoue-san, how are you?" Chad asked, though he already knew the answer to the question. She was not herself and therefore, not well. He could see by the look in her eyes that she was still being controlled by someone; she had always had so much compassion in her eyes but now they were cold and lifeless. Outside of that, however, her body appeared to be in bad condition. In addition to the wound on her head there appeared to be a few fresh wounds on her hands and feet, primarily around her cuticles as though something had been pushing its way out. She was also noticeably thinner and he knew she hadn't been eating.

Ichigo and Uryū had advised him to keep his distance until they could come up with a definitive plan to deal with the entity inside the girl but Chad couldn't stand to see her waste away so he was going to take action, even if it meant putting himself in danger. He held up a sack of groceries to the girl's empty gaze. "I brought you something to eat."

Orihime's eyes floated from Chad's face to the bag and back again. She then smiled widely, ignoring his earlier question and motioned for him to enter the apartment. "Come in, Sado-kun."

Chad nodded and took a hesitant step into the apartment. He removed his shoes and stepped further in and noticed that aside from an overturned lamp in the corner of the living room, there was not a single light on. Through the dim light he could make out that the apartment was in shambles. Orihime's sofa had long tears in it as though it had been clawed, fabric and stuffing were hanging loosely from the piece of furniture. There were smears on the walls that upon closer inspection appeared to be blood. As he drew nearer to the kitchen he could detect the rancid smell of rotting food. He covered his nose with his arm and turned to Orihime as calmly as possible. "Inoue-san, why is all of your food spoiled?"

"Most of it is old." Orihime replied with a shrug. "The refrigeration unit is broken as well. I have no desire to repair it and no money to replace the spoiled food."

Chad looked to Orihime quietly. It wasn't the real Orihime, that much he knew. Even still, it was hard to speak to her without showing genuine concern. "Inoue-san, if you need anything you should know by now that you can ask and we will help you. You can't starve yourself."

"I don't need to eat." Orihime replied. "Menial scraps of human food can't even begin to placate my appetite so I find it best not to eat at all."

"Inoue-san, you _must_ eat." Chad insisted. "You're wasting away. I know you must be hungry."

"Not really." Orihime replied with a shrug and a smile. "After all, it's her pain and suffering that feeds me. It's so delicious. It's the only thing that can satiate me."

Chad's already serious face turned sterner. Up until that point he had only ever seen the entity within Orihime pretend to be her. Now faced with its open admission, he felt he could be more forthcoming with his anger toward it. "You're destroying Inoue-san's body. If you keep this up she'll die and you will die right along with her."

"Promise?" Orihime said with a lusty chuckle. "That would be wonderful."

"Eat!" Chad demanded, his fury growing. "I won't let you kill Inoue-san like this! If you don't eat by yourself I'll force you!"

Orihime chuckled again and turned two heavily lidded eyes toward Chad. "You're not the first person to threaten to shove food down this weak little throat of hers. But go ahead. Be my guest. There's so many other ways to kill the woman. You'll just be forcing me to get _really_ creative."

Chad reached out and clasped Orihime's shoulders tightly. "Why are you doing this to her? Why, Ulquiorra?"

Orihime stared up at Chad's face. A small laugh fell from her lips before it turned into all out hysterical laughter. Her fingers began to twitch at her sides, the skin splitting and breaking until her appendages were covered in torn and bloodied flesh. With a quick swipe, she slashed Chad across the chest sending the towering man toppling to the ground. "Why indeed."

…

_He sat in silence and observed as the memory of his death once again replayed itself, always the same. Always unchanging. The only difference from the countless times before was that she was with him. His back leaned against one of the many towering pillars of Las Noches for support and she... she lay at his side. Her hand still clinging to his seemed now a constant reminder of her promise to him. She had long been asleep against him, her head lulled to the side and slumped against his arm._

_He watched her features as she slept. Her brow which had so recently been furrowed in concern was now at ease. Her posture, though slumped, was relaxed and showed no signs of the tension she had displayed earlier. She seemed entirely at peace. Even the hair that fell carelessly in her face seemed to signal that she was without a care in the world despite the dire situation in which she found herself._

_He reached out, hesitant at first, and brushed the hair from her face. This action didn't cause her to stir in the slightest so he continued to push the hair back in order to get a clear view of her sleeping features. Everything about her struck his curiosity. How could she rest so easily knowing what hell she was being put through? How could she, even for an instant, not feel too terrified to close her eyes? He decided to vocalize these questions despite her slumber. "How can you sleep, woman? How are you not so filled with fear to the point of paralyzation?"_

"_Maybe it has to do with you babying her like a fucking child." His voice came, cold and callous. His arms crossed over his chest, clawed fingers drumming against cold flesh. "What the hell are you doing? I left her for you to deal with and I come back to find this. What happened to 'she forgot all about me, she disgusts me?' Don't tell me she's managed to cry her way out of your fury."_

_His emerald eyes flickered up to meet the amber ones staring back at him. "Murciélago..." He glanced quickly to his side to see that she was still sleeping before turning his gaze back to the monstrous form before him. "She hasn't cried her way out of anything."_

_A scoff crossed his lips and he moved his clawed hands to gesture toward the young woman. "Then what is she doing holding your hand and sleeping against you? I suppose that's all part of your plan to break her spirits and cast her into despair? You're pathetic, Ulquiorra. I should have known better than to trust this to you. You're weak. You always have been when it comes to her."_

_He was unmoved by the onslaught of insults. It was nothing he was unused to coming from that most vile part of himself. Instead he stared straight ahead at the memory still playing out before him. "How many times did we stand here side by side and watch the moment of our death? Did you count? I didn't count."_

_There came another scoff, black talons stepping closer to the two huddling forms. "Are you trying to change the subject?"_

_He continued on with his thought process, ignoring the question directed at him. "I've seen this all happen so many times and nothing has changed. It always happens the same each and every time. Only, sitting here watching it now, it's different than it was before. When standing there watching it with you I was convinced that this was entirely her fault; that she was to blame. Now, sitting here watching it with her I realize that it was only ever my fault. You are right to call me weak. When I'm in her presence it's what I become. That isn't her fault no matter how much I try to blame her for it. The fault is mine." He turned his gaze up to stare back at the demonic eyes scowling at him. "I can not punish another for my shortcomings. This woman is innocent."_

"_She is a poison." He hissed, halting just short of the two. "You are weak. And the worst part is that you know it but you're not doing a damn thing about it. I suppose now that you've changed your mind about killing the woman you think that she's going adore you and cherish you like some fairytale prince come to save her. Well, I have news for you, Ulquiorra. You are not her knight in shining armor. That boy is. The sooner you realize that the better off you'll be. No doubt they're trying to devise some way to get their precious princess back and do you know who they think they're protecting her from? You."_

_His brow furrowed for a moment and he looked up at the monstrous figure in questioning. "Me? Why would they assume it's me? Did you indicate me?"_

"_I didn't say a damn word to those idiots. I didn't give them an inkling at all. They just assumed you were at fault, likely due to something your precious woman has led them to believe about you. Because that's who you are, Ulquiorra. You're the monster they have to protect her from. You always have been. You know it, I know it, they know it and she knows it. There is no happy ending in this for you. Even if she does feel a sense of gratitude toward you for whatever kindness you've shown her, those friends of hers will just turn her against you all over again. It's better to end this than drag it on and torture yourself." A clawed hand extended out, reaching down toward the sleeping form. A devilish grin graced his lips and he opened his mouth to speak once more. "But if you really don't want to sully your hands, allow me the pleasure."_

_His hand shot out almost instantaneously, knocking away the taloned appendage from its intended target. "Do not touch her."_

_Amber eyes narrowed dangerously in anger but he noticed that his glare was matched, warning him away from further attempts at disrupting the peace. He stood straight, snickering as he turned away from the two. "Suit yourself. Just don't be surprised when she tosses you aside like trash all over again."_

_He sat silent, watching the demonic figure disappear into the distance. His gaze then snapped back to his side; her eyes were still shut and she seemed none the wiser. He tried not to let doubt creep into his mind, lest they both end up back in despair, but he couldn't ignore the thought that maybe he had made a mistake after all. The last thing he wanted was to be made a fool of. "Don't disappoint me, woman."_


	8. Hurting the One You Love

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! I appreciate each review and look forward to further feedback. Anyhow, here's your Saturday update! Enjoy!

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><p>"Chad!" Ichigo shouted as he saw his friend standing on his doorstep dripping blood. He reached out to steady the other man by his shoulders as he seemed ready to fall. "What happened?"<p>

"Inoue." Chad muttered, slumping against the door frame. It wasn't that the wound was particularly deep but it had been gushing blood for a solid thirty minutes while he had wrestled himself away from Orihime's attack and made his way to the clinic. His breath was shallow as he looked at Ichigo in concern. "She's gotten worse."

"Hold on. Let me get my dad to take care of this and then we can talk about it." Ichigo said, pulling Chad into the home. After waking his father and having Chad tended to, he sat alone with the other man in the clinic and let out a heavy sigh. "I called Ishida. He's on his way over here now."

"He didn't need to come." Chad replied. "I'll be fine. Your father said the wound is superficial."

"We still need to discuss what we're going to do about Inoue." Ichigo said, his brow crinkling in thought. "You said she's gotten worse. How much worse?"

"It's bad." Chad said, placing his hand against his bandaged wound. "It's like he's in there trying to claw his way out. The hand that did this to me was not Inoue-san's. Her fingers split open and his claws came out."

Ichigo's eyes widened at Chad's description of what happened. "Her fingers split open?"

"It was horrible." Chad spoke quietly. "The entire apartment was a mess. There was blood everywhere. He hasn't been eating and her body is wasting away. If Orihime's body doesn't get some sort of nutrition it's going to die. That's assuming she doesn't bleed to death first. He's killing her."

Ichigo grit his teeth and clenched his fists. "That bastard." He looked to Chad quickly and started toward the door. "When Ishida gets here, tell him I had to go."

"Ichigo! Wait!" Chad called out to the other man. "I know you're planning to go there. Don't."

"I can't just stand by while one of our friends it torn to shreds!" Ichigo shouted, turning back to look at Chad. "Inoue never did anything to that bastard to deserve this! _He's_ the one that dragged her to Hueco Mundo! _He's_ the reason everyone questioned her loyalty! Everything bad that occurred between them is his fault, not hers! Inoue has never harmed a single person so why? Why her? If he wants to come after someone... if he wants to hurt someone then why doesn't he hurt me?"

"Because he knows that hurting Inoue-san is the best way to hurt you." Uryū answered as he stepped into the clinic. "It's the best way to hurt any of us; by going after those we care for."

"Ishida." Ichigo whirled back around to face the other man in shock. "You got here fast."

"I used Hirenkyaku to get here. This isn't a matter where I can just walk leisurely. We're already running out of time as it is." Uryū replied. "From the sound of things on the phone it's gotten worse."

"He's destroying her body now." Ichigo said furiously. "What's the point in doing that!?"

"Like I said, it's not about hurting Inoue-san as much as it is about hurting the rest of us." Uryū answered, adjusting his glasses. "After our conversation the other day I sat down and tried to figure out exactly what would make Ulquiorra do what he is doing to Inoue-san. It just didn't make sense to me. After all, you and I both saw the way he reached for her that day in Hueco Mundo. It almost seemed as though he had some sort of attachment to her. Like he cared for her. Those feelings were clearly reciprocated. She cared enough about him to accept his soul into her body and he cared enough about her to allow it to happen so it became difficult to understand why he would do this to her now. After reasoning over everything I came to the conclusion that he is doing this to punish us, not Inoue-san."

"Then why is she the one suffering?" Ichigo said with a growl. "Why is it _her_ that he's destroying?"

"Because of the way it makes _us_ feel." Uryū said, sighing heavily. "That's the only reason I could come up with. I couldn't think of any reason that he would go to these lengths to hurt Inoue-san when he seemed to care for her, at least to some extent. But with the way he's spoken to us it's clear he feels vengeful. I helped Inoue-san to stop thinking about the past and you were the one that ended his life. He doesn't have access to us, however, so he's using Inoue-san to get to us."

"No, I'm not buying it." Ichigo said with a shake of his head. "There has to be more to it that we're not seeing. You don't hurt someone you supposedly care for just to get to others."

"I thought that too." Uryū agreed. "But then it occurred to me that Inoue-san herself might not be in any actual pain. The wounds, the hunger, none of it is getting to him and he's the one in control of her body. It's quite possible that Inoue-san isn't feeling any pain at all. At least, I don't think she's felt any pain since she lost control of herself."

"That doesn't make it okay." Ichigo said angrily. "He's still killing her! Why would you kill someone you care about?"

"Because he's already dead." Chad spoke quietly. "It's not justification in our eyes but it could be in his eyes. Think about it. As Inoue's friends we obviously care for her and don't want to be without her. Maybe he's decided that it's time to move on. But if he cares about her then he, like us, doesn't want to be without her either. If he can hurt us and take her with him when it's all over with then that would probably be the best outcome for him."

Ichigo looked between Chad and Uryū, his anger building. "I'm not saying I don't understand your reasoning but it just doesn't make sense to me. Something isn't adding up with this logic."

Uryū sighed and shook his head. "It's the only reason I could find that Ulquiorra would do this to Inoue-san. Kurosaki, it may be hard for you to understand how a person could willingly hurt someone they care for but it's often those we care for most that we end up hurting the most. But whether my theory is correct or not is irrelevant. Ulquiorra's true reasoning for this doesn't matter because at the end of the day we have to stop him before he takes Inoue-san's life. From the looks of it we have very little time left before that happens."

Ichigo grumbled irritably. Uryū's theory wasn't making sense to him and he couldn't shake the feeling that something more was going on under the surface that they weren't aware of. Uryū was right about one thing, however. It didn't really matter why Ulquiorra was doing what he was doing. All that mattered was that they had to stop it and he intended to do whatever it took to do so. "Guys, I have a plan."

Chad looked to Ichigo and cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why didn't you mention it sooner?"

Ichigo looked up at Chad before turning a smile at Uryū. "Because you're not gonna like it."


	9. We Pick Ourselves Undone

So, we're getting to the climax of the story here. I was honestly expecting this story to be a bit longer but it started closing rapidly on me and I decided not to fight it. Anyhow, here's your Wednesday update! Only two more after this! Enjoy!

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><p>"You can't be serious, Ichigo!" Rukia shouted as she stared at the young man in disbelief. "Do you realize what you're asking of me?"<p>

"I know, Rukia." Ichigo said with a nod and a sad smile. "But there is no other way. Inoue needs our help and this is the only way I can help her. We're running out of time to try to figure something else out."

"You're not even certain it will work." Uryū argued. "You said yourself, Inoue-san has to be in control of her body in order for us to help her. He still has a hold of her. It's no longer her will dictating what goes on in her body."

"All I need is one split second." Ichigo said with confidence. "If I'm successful, Inoue can take care of the rest with her Shun Shun Rikka."

"And what if you're unsuccessful?" Uryū said, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared hard at Ichigo. "Then what?"

"Then you'll have to find another way to save Inoue." Ichigo replied quietly. "But I'm confident in myself. All I need to do is distract him and weaken him long enough for Inoue to push him out. Once that happens-"

"Ichigo, this is incredibly foolish." Rukia interrupted. She stared up at him as he stared down at her. The look on his face was one of confidence but it was bordering on desperate. She knew that he knew there was a slim chance for success in this situation but she also knew he wouldn't be suggesting it if he hadn't exhausted every other option. "When do you want to do this?"

"Now is as good a time as any." Ichigo replied with a shrug.

"We need to lure him out." Uryū said in thought. "He's not stupid. He'll know we're up to something if either one of us attempts to make contact."

"I'll go." Rukia said calmly. "Ichigo, you go to an area that's fairly uninhabited and prepare yourself."

"Ishida, it would be best if you came with me." Ichigo said, forcing a smile. "Truthfully, it would be best if he believes you all have turned against me."

"Is Sado going to be there as well?" Uryū asked in interest.

Ichigo nodded and continued to smile. "I asked him if he would help. I guess I should call him and let him know it's time." He turned his gaze to Rukia and let his smile falter, if only for a second. "Thank you, Rukia."

"Don't thank me yet." Rukia replied. She watched as Ichigo and Uryū hurried off before turning her sights on Orihime's apartment. Ichigo had given her a brief rundown of what to expect from the soul dwelling within their friend but she knew she wasn't truly prepared. She approached the apartment and rang the doorbell, standing in wait until the door flew open with lightening speed. Standing there staring at her was Orihime, but it wasn't. It was her body of course but there was a look in her eyes that was distinctly different from anything the true Orihime Inoue had. She was deathly thin on top of it and her hands were a mangled mess of torn flesh. She was certainly not prepared for the sight.

"Kuchiki-san." Orihime muttered, eyes narrowing on the Shinigami before her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Is Ichigo here?" Rukia asked. She was wary of the form before her. Despite being in Orihime's body, it had managed to wound both Uryū and Chad so she knew she needed to be on guard.

"Why would he be here?" Orihime replied with a skeptical gaze.

"I've recieved an order to capture him. Kisuke Urahara has sent word to Soul Society that there is something strange occuring with you and as one of the people closest to you, Ichigo Kurosaki is our primary suspect." Rukia answered, trying her best to maintain a sincere face. "Initial reports blamed Ulquiorra Cifer for your predicament but according to our records, he's deceased. That means it has to be someone close to you. Someone living. We've already investigated Uryū Ishida and Yasutora Sado and found them to be incapable of such actions against you. Furthermore, they have agreed to help us locate Ichigo. He ran when he was confronted and so we have reason to believe he's guilty of whatever is occuring with you. We suspected he would come here."

A smile crawled across Orihime's face at Rukia's words. "It sounds like Kurosaki-kun is in big trouble. I wish I could say he is here but he isn't."

"I see." Rukia replied, discomfort creeping up her spine at the devious smirk spread over Orihime's lips. "Well, I guess I should look elsewhere."

"Kuchiki-san..." Orihime spoke, voice low and lusty. "What's going to happen to Kurosaki-kun when you capture him?"

"If he cooperates he will be arrested and put on trial for his crimes." Rukia said. "If he resists I'll have no choice but to kill him."

Orihime's eyes lit up in interest and she stepped from her apartment. "Let me go with you to search for him."

Rukia glanced down at Orihime's feet, noticing that they were bare and bloody. It was clear to her that the soul in control of Orihime's body was so eager to see Ichigo wounded or worse, it didn't even bother with shoes or appearances. Ichigo's plan was working so far. "Inoue, you should probably wear some shoes. Don't you think? You should also grab your Shun Shun Rikka in case you need to defend yourself."

"Oh! Of course!" Orihime stepped back into the apartment and slipped into some shoes, smiling all the while. The hairpins were sitting on a nearby table so she scooped them up and placed them in her hair before hurrying back to Rukia's side. "Let's go, Kuchiki-san."

...

"_What's wrong?" He asked as his gaze fell over her form. She was looking around as though she was searching for something but nothing about their surroundings had changed in the slightest._

"_I thought I heard Kuchiki-san's voice." She replied softly. "Shoes. She said something about shoes and my Shun Shun Rikka."_

"_Shoes?" His brow furrowed as he joined her side. "Your body must be on the move. I wonder where it's going."_

"_Wherever it is, it's somewhere with Kuchiki-san!" She said happily. "Maybe they did it! Maybe they found a way to get rid of..." Her words trailed off as she turned to face him sadly. "Ulquiorra, I have a question. If Kuchiki-san finds a way to get rid of Murciélago... what will happen to you?"_

_A scoff fell from his lips and he turned away from her bitterly. "As though you care. All your problems will be solved."_

_She reached out as he began to walk away from her and grabbed his hand tightly. "I care."_

_His gaze flew back to her to see her eyes staring up at him and swimming with sincerity. He relented to stay by her side as he let out a heavy sigh. "When I died Murciélago and I had become one. Two souls bound together for eternity. Although he has found a way to move seperately from me we are still technically one. That is why he appears as my Segunda Etapa form. If your friends have found a way to rip his soul from your body, logic only dictates that my soul will be ripped out as well. As it stands, you'll only have to suffer me for a small while longer."_

"_But that isn't fair!" She protested. She clung to his hand and looked at him sadly. "Can't you speak to him? Can't you get him to stop this all? If your souls are banished from my body they'll disappear and you'll truly be-"_

_"Dead." He said, finishing the sentence for her. "But we already are dead. Perhaps it would be for the best for us to fade away. That is what should have happened from the start."_

"_Even still." She said with a shake of her head. "If you reason with him-"_

"_There is no reasoning with him." He said quietly. "Being here for me was like a second life. Although I was only living through memories it was a mostly pleasant experience. I enjoyed your fond thoughts of me when you looked back on our past. But there was nothing like that for Murciélago here. There were no pleasant memories for him to enjoy. Only the memory of our death replaying over and over. He has been discontent for a long time, likely since the beginning. I didn't care about his discontent, however. I was always able to keep him suppressed for my own selfish desires. I wanted to go on experiencing your life with you and feel alive through your memories of me. But then one day I couldn't suppress him anymore. You stopped remembering and I got flung into your despair where I stayed until Murciélago pulled me out. He had only one condition; that we leave this place forever."_

"_So that's why you planned to kill me." She said in understanding. "It was the only way for you to be free."_

"_Killing you was not my initial intention." He replied with a sigh. "My pride was wounded but I had no real interest in harming you. I began interfering with your sleep and giving you dreams to force you to remember. I kept watching, hoping things would change but they never did. Over time I began to grow frustrated and bitter and once I began to truly notice your interactions with Ichigo Kurosaki, I..." His eyes looked to hers in uncertainty of whether or not she would laugh at his next statement. "My frustration turned to jealousy and my bitterness to anger."_

_Her eyes widened in disbelief at his words. "J-jealousy?"_

"_I know it seems foolish." He said, averting his gaze from hers. "I am dead. How can the dead feel jealousy? How can the dead feel anything? But the truth is that I have felt more in my death than I ever felt in life. I began to feel this sense of ownership of you, that you were mine and only mine to enjoy until the day your heart stopped beating and our souls were torn asunder. But your feelings for Ichigo Kurosaki are no secret to me. I knew even in Hueco Mundo how you felt for him so I'm not certain why I was so bothered but it came to a point where I could no longer sit idly by and let you obtain the happiness that I was denied when that man killed me. My anger turned to rage and I let that fury get the best of me and my intentions for you. Only now I know that killing you was never what I really wanted. I only wanted to be free from this percieved pain. I should have never let things get to this point."_

"_Ulquiorra..." She stared up at him, sadness overwhelming her. His eyes were always so sorrowful looking but in that moment he looked the saddest she'd ever seen him. Without a second thought or a moment of hesitation she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry!"_

_He was caught off guard by her hug. The entire action was unexpected and wonderful. He was apprehensive for a moment but he relented to return her embrace. He allowed his hand to rest on the back of her head as he held her close. He found himself enjoying the moment but it was short lived._

_She heard the sound behind her, horrible like it had always been. It was the sound of wings flapping and it stopped just short of them. She dared a glance behind her and he was standing there. Menacing as ever. He reached out with a clawed hand and pulled her against him. His body was cold and terrifying._

"_I have something to show you, woman."_


	10. Don't Let the Days Go By

Hey guys, sorry about leaving you hanging on Saturday. I ended up spending the weekend in Hollywood trying to help my best friend redecorate her apartment and left my laptop at home so I didn't get the chance to update. Forgive me!

Anyhow, here is the second to last chapter. I will say, it's not as climactic as I was hoping it would be but time restrictions within the story kind of limited me. Anyway, please enjoy! I'll have the final chapter for you on Saturday morning! I PROMISE!

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><p>"Ichigo Kurosaki, surrender now!" Rukia said with a scowl as she entered the clearing with Orihime trailing behind. She was watching him and feigning anger while trying to hide her worry. He was taking severe damage from both Chad and Uryū and his reiatsu was extremely weakened. Of course, that was the plan all along.<p>

Ichigo had to die.

It was risky but it was obviously a risk he found worth taking for Orihime's sake so she wouldn't argue with him. Still, it was hard to watch Ichigo take each hit from his allies and know that the ultimate goal was to end his life. From the looks of him, it wouldn't be much longer.

Rukia turned her gaze to Orihime to guage just exactly what her reaction was to seeing Ichigo so torn and bloody. Orihime's body seemed paralyzed, frozen where it stood as though it was a soulless Gigai. It became clear to Rukia that whoever had been in control of Orihime's body was currently occupied elsewhere. It was hard to determine whether the perpitrator had left Orihime's body vulnerable on purpose or if there was some internal struggle to gain control but she had little time to think about it. She had a task ahead of her. "Ichigo! It's time!"

"Inoue!" Ichigo shouted, rushing to the emotionless body standing and staring blankly at the ground. He placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently, hoping that he could gain the real Orihime's attention, if only for a second. "Inoue! Inoue, say something! Inoue! Inoue!"

...

"_Let go of me!" She shouted as she struggled against his hold. His claws were digging into her arms and his grip was tight but she fought with everything she had. She thought she could hear Ichigo's voice shouting for her in the distance but it was all she could do to just fight against the grip she was being held in. "What do you want!?"_

"_I want you to look through your own eyes." He said with a smirk. "Look at what has become of your precious Kurosaki-kun."_

_She felt herself being shoved then, pushed into what felt familiar and she realized it was her own consciousness. She was looking through her own eyes, although she didn't have control over her limbs or muscles, and she could see Ichigo standing before her looking bloody and beaten. "K-Kurosaki-kun!? What happened to him!?"_

"_Isn't it fantastic? Your Shinigami friend and the others seem to believe that he is responsible for all that's been happening to you. And from the looks of it they're going to kill him over it." He said with a deep chuckle. "He will die and you'll be entirely to blame."_

_She shook her head desperately, tears coming to her eyes. "No! Kurosaki-kun! Kurosaki-kun!"_

...

"Kurosaki-kun." Orihime managed to mutter, looking at Ichigo's face sadly.

"Inoue!" Ichigo smiled in relief at hearing Orihime's voice speak his name. Her eyes were brimming with concern and he could see that it was her true self. "Inoue, you have to push him out! Force him out of your body and regain control!"

Orihime looked to Ichigo, her eyes filling up with tears. "I... I can't. If I do, he-"

Ichigo looked behind him to see Rukia standing there prepared to do the task he had asked her to do. "Rukia, do it now!"

"Right." Rukia raised her Zanpakuto high into the air and looked to Ichigo regretfully. "This better work, Ichigo. I'll never forgive you if it doesn't."

"I figured as much." Ichigo replied with a smile before turning his gaze back to Orihime. "Sorry, Inoue."

Orihime watched in horror as Rukia brought her Zanpakuto down swiftly and impaled Ichigo through the chest. His eyes were watching her sorrowfully despite the crooked smile on his face until his body fell limp and it became clear to her that Ichigo Kurosaki was dead. "N-no! No! K-Kuchiki-san, why!?"

"Take his soul in, Inoue." Rukia replied stifly. "Take his soul in and let him save you so that you can save him."

...

_She felt herself being pulled back into her subconsciousness. She expected to feel clawed hands tugging at her but the hands she felt were soft and gentle. She turned to look behind her to see Ichigo standing there with his hands on her arm. "Kurosaki-kun!"_

"_Inoue, it's really you." He spoke quietly with a smile on his face._

"_Kurosaki-kun, why!? Why did you let them kill you!?" She cried out, tears overwhelming her face. "Why!?"_

"_So that I could save you." He answered. "But we don't have much time. We have to hurry. Where is that bastard Ulquiorra?"_

_She shook her head, tears flying from her face as she did so. "Kurosaki-kun, Ulquiorra isn't-"_

"_I'm right here." He spoke, his emerald eyes piercing through the darkness to gaze at the man across from him. He wanted to be furious but he could truthfully only crack a small smile of relief. "I knew you'd come for her eventually. I just never expected it to be like this."_

"_Ulquiorra..." She muttered, turning her eyes to him in concern. "What are you-"_

"_Do as Kurosaki says." He replied calmly. "Regain control of your body. Push us out."_

_She shook her head again and turned to face him, his eyes staring straight through her like they always had. "If I do that you'll die!"_

"_I told you, woman. I'm already dead." He said, turning his gaze from her to the orange haired man and back again. "No amount of memories or wishful thinking will change that. I am dead. I will remain dead forever. It's fine. I accept it."_

_She took a hesitant step toward him, reaching her hand out to him sadly. "Ulquiorra, there has to be a another way."_

"_There is no other way." He replied with a shake of his head. "At least, not one that can be determined in the amount of time it would take before Kurosaki dies permanently. I know you don't want that."_

"_It isn't fair!" She shouted, tear drops pooling at her feet. "I never meant for this to happen! It's wrong! You shouldn't have to just fade away!"_

"_The truth is, woman, I want to fade away." He said softly, looking at the faces of the two standing before him. "Yes, I was enjoying this second chance at life but once that stopped I found myself consumed with anger, greed and hatred. Those are quite possibly the most wretched aspects of a heart and yet that was all that I had. It only changed once you came here and it is because of that change that I realize it's best if I leave. If I stay the jealousy and bitterness will once again become the only thing I can feel and I can't promise to you or myself that something like this won't happen again. Then of course there's Murciélago. He is and always will be a part of me. I won't always be stronger than him. I won't always be able to suppress him and in those times it would be far worse."_

_She listened to him as he spoke, tears still streaming down her face. She knew he was right. She knew that his soul needed to be free from her body. It was what he wanted and yet she couldn't fight the sorrow she felt about it. "I'm so sorry, Ulquiorra."_

"_Don't be." He replied, a simple smile gracing his lips. "You have a responsibility to live your life and to obtain happiness. That is the goal of a human heart as I have come to understand it. Do not disappoint me in that task, woman."_

"_Alright. I'll try my hardest." She said with a nod, fighting back her tears long enough to force a smile. "Goodbye, Ulquiorra."_

_He continued to smile as he bowed his head, keeping his gaze averted from her. He knew if he didn't he might change his mind. "Goodbye, Orihime Inoue."_

"_How sentimental." A voice came from behind the trio, dark and devious. He had been watching the exchange in interest and wavering on whether or not he would intervene but his bloodlust got the best of him and he couldn't allow it to end so simply. "However, I'm afraid I'm not done with the woman yet."_

_She turned wide, frightened eyes in his direction but she found that both Ichigo and Ulquiorra were quick to stand between her and the monstrous form hovering not far away. She knew she had little time to act so she kicked her feet into a sprint and hurried as fast as she could away._

...

Orihime gasped as she regained full consciousness in the world of the living. She heaved for air and noted right away that she once again had complete control over her own body. Ichigo's lifeless form lay only mere inches from her and her hands flew instinctively to her Shun Shun Rikka. "Sōten Kisshun, I reject!"

Rukia watched nervously as Orihime tried to use her Shun Shun Rikka but to her dismay the ability wasn't working. "Inoue, what's wrong!?"

"I..." Orihime grit her teeth in frustration. She knew exactly why her ability wasn't working. She still had not forced Ulquiorra or Murciélago from her body and she knew the latter was likely still interfering with her powers. It was in her best interest to reject their souls from her body but she was struggling with the idea of it all. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to force back the tears that were coming to her eyes. "I never wanted this! I never wanted any of it! It's not fair!"

"Inoue!" Rukia reached out and slapped Orihime across her face. "Focus! Do what needs to be done! Ichigo is counting on you!"

Orihime stared up at Rukia with wide eyes before nodding quickly. "R-right!" She took a deep breath to calm herself and concentrated hard on forcing the foreign reiatsu she felt within her body out. Her chest felt heavy, weighed down by the souls within her as she focused her energy on pushing them out. After a moment that felt like an eternity the weight seemed to lift and a darkness engulfed the area before slowly dissipating.

She placed her hands back on her hairpins and repeated her earlier command. "Sōten Kisshun, I reject!"

Rukia watched in anticipation as Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka finally activated and the yellow shield spead over Ichigo's body. They sat in silence watching and waiting for a reaction from Ichigo that seemed it would never come. "Why isn't it working? His wounds are healing but he's not responding."

Orihime stared at Ichigo's body in desperation before realizing that although his body was healed his soul was still within her. She closed her eyes and focused once more on pushing the intrusive soul from her body. She felt another wave of reiatsu leave her and her body felt noticibly weak but she knew that was a good thing. Her eyes snapped back open to see Ichigo's finger flicker in movement.

Ichigo bolted up quickly and sat looking around, gasping for breath as he realized he was alive. "It worked? I'm alive!?"

Rukia smiled and nodded with a look of relief on her face. "You're alive, Ichigo."

Uryū crossed his arms as he approached Ichigo and scowled down at him. "You're also incredibly stupid. You were cutting it pretty close, don't you think?"

Ichigo grinned and placed his hand on his head in thought. "Was I? I didn't realize. It wasn't quite what I was expecting it to be so I had to improvise."

"K-Kurosaki-kun..." Orihime managed to croak out past the lump in her throat.

Ichigo turned to look at Orihime and his smile faltered. "Inoue, are you okay?"

"Kurosaki-kun! You jerk!" Orihime dove forward in her kneeling position and threw her arms around Ichigo's neck. She began to cry heavily against his shoulder as she clung to him tightly. "Why are you always risking your life to protect me!? Stop doing that! Ishida-kun is right! It's stupid!"

Ichigo let out a soft chuckle as he placed is hand on the back of Orihime's head to comfort her. "Sorry, but I'll always be there to protect you. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm just glad you're okay!" Orihime wailed against the fabric of his Shihakusho. She continued to cling to him as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Rukia smiled knowingly and turned away from Ichigo and Orihime. "Well, I've done what you asked me to do. I have to return to Soul Society but I'll be back in a few days to check on things here. You take care of yourselves."

Ichigo nodded and watched as Rukia opened a Senkaimon and disappeared through it. He quickly noticed that both Uryū and Chad had also left the area leaving him holding Orihime as she cried against him. He pulled back from her slowly and raised his hand to her chin to get her to look at him. "Inoue..."

Orihime raised her eyes and looked up at Ichigo with a bright blush. It took her only a moment to realize she'd let her emotions get the best of her and she quickly pulled away from him and sat back on the grass. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't be." Ichigo answered with a chuckle. He stared at her in silence for a moment, noting that she had a hard time holding his gaze. "Are you truly alright, Inoue? After everything you've been through-"

"I'm fine." Orihime uttered quickly. "I don't want to talk about it. It's just too depressing."

"I understand." Ichigo said with a nod. "I'm sorry I didn't realize something was wrong sooner."

Orihime felt tears coming to her eyes once more but she blinked them away. "So am I."

Ichigo watched her for a moment in silence. It was clear she had so much she wanted to say but he had a feeling that he wasn't the person she wanted to say it to. After a while of sitting there and saying nothing he stood and held a hand out to her with a smile. "Come on, Inoue. Let's go home."

Orihime looked up at Ichigo's outstretched hand and let out a heavy sigh. She reached up and clasped his hand with hers, allowing him to pull her up. They began the long trek home in silence, Ichigo's hand shifting to wrap around hers delicately and for the first time in weeks a smile graced her lips that was genuine and full. It was a happy smile.


	11. Send This Smile Over to You

So here we are at the final chapter and it is a very, very short one. As much as I wanted this to be a horror story I just couldn't bring myself to give it a "true horror ending." So, as with most of my stories, what you're left with is something bitter sweet.

I hope you enjoyed the story and thank you for reading!

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><p><em>She stood looking around, realizing that she was dreaming all over again. But it wasn't terrifying. It was like it used to be before all the trouble. Just a memory.<em>

_He was standing there, body disintegrating into ash as she watched his hand raise up toward her. His eyes were locked on hers and it didn't frighten her. If anything, she felt peace in that moment. Then he spoke the words she knew always followed._

_"Are you afraid of me, woman?"_

_She inhaled slowly, deeply as she had that day and answered his question honestly. "I'm not afraid."_

_"I see." His response came like it always had, full of true understanding._

_Her hand raised up, mimicking his gesture as she reached out to touch him but to her surprise he didn't turn to ash at their contact. Her fingers graced his and she was able to grab a hold of his hand. She stared at him with wide eyes, their fingers entwined, but he only returned her shocked gaze with a small smile._

_"Did you find your happiness, woman?" He asked, though he seemed to already know the answer._

_She looked from him to their hands, a tearful smile spreading across her face. Her eyes returned to his face to see an even wider smile gracing his lips and she nodded. "I did."_

_"I'm glad..."_


End file.
